Federal authorities are investigating a suspected homicide after the cruise ship returned unexpectedly to Galveston on Monday.
GALVESTON, TX — A man is in custody in connection with the death of a woman aboard the MSC Seascape after the cruise ship returned to Galveston on Monday, federal and local authorities said.
The FBI is investigating the death as a suspected homicide after the ship, which had departed Galveston on Sunday for a Caribbean cruise, was instructed to return to port following what MSC Cruises described as a guest incident. Authorities have released few details about what happened aboard the vessel, and federal investigators have not announced criminal charges.
The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to ABC News that Jason Watford was booked into the Galveston County Jail on a federal hold. Investigators had not said Monday what, if anything, Watford had been charged with. The Port of Galveston said a suspect was initially taken into federal custody with assistance from port police and detained at a federal facility inside the cruise terminal before being transported to the county jail at about 3 p.m.
The Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that the person who died was a woman. Officials had not publicly released her name or other identifying information Monday. An autopsy was expected Tuesday as authorities work to determine the cause and manner of death. The FBI also had not publicly disclosed when or where aboard the ship the woman died or described the circumstances surrounding her death.
FBI Houston said a maritime liaison agent based at the bureau’s Texas City Resident Agency is coordinating the investigation with the U.S. Coast Guard, Port of Galveston Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and MSC Cruises. The bureau said such coordination is customary when potential crimes occur aboard cruise ships. The FBI is the primary federal agency authorized to investigate potential crimes on the high seas.
MSC Cruises said the company reported an incident involving a guest and was then directed by authorities to return the Seascape to the Port of Galveston. The cruise line said it was cooperating with investigators and providing support to people affected by the incident. It also expressed sympathy to the guest’s family and friends while declining to release additional information because the investigation remains active.
The Seascape had departed Galveston on Sunday for a seven-night Western Caribbean voyage before turning back toward Texas. The planned itinerary included stops at Costa Maya and Cozumel in Mexico and Roatán, Honduras. After investigators responded at the Galveston terminal Monday, MSC said the ship left port again and resumed its planned itinerary.
The MSC Seascape began operating from Galveston in November 2025 after previously sailing from Miami. According to MSC Cruises, the vessel has 2,270 cabins, carries more than 1,600 crew members and can accommodate nearly 5,900 guests. It operates Caribbean cruises from the Texas port.
Authorities had not disclosed a possible motive, the relationship between the woman and the person being held, or what evidence led investigators to treat the death as a suspected homicide. The FBI said the investigation remains ongoing, while the medical examiner’s findings and any decision on federal charges were still pending Monday.
Author note: Last updated November 9, 2026.